UMaine student dies in Old Town

OLD TOWN, Maine — Police are investigating the weekend death of a University of Maine student, 19-year-old Dylan Lyford of Milo. Alcohol is suspected to have been a factor in his death, a UM official said.

According to patrolman Lee Miller, Old Town police and ambulance crews went at 10:30 a.m. Sunday to a report of an unresponsive male at 69 Stillwater Ave., which is between Brunswick and Fourth streets.

Lyford was taken by ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he was pronounced dead, Miller said.

Lyford was a first-year chemical engineering student who lived in Somerset Hall on the Orono campus. Lyford’s older brother Doug also is a student at UMaine.

Story continues below advertisement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Dana. “This death is unbearable to a community like ours.”

The university is providing grief counseling and support to students and others affected by Lyford’s death.

“We’ve been told alcohol was involved,” Dana said. “If those reports are true, it compounds the tragedy.”

Dana said students must learn to recognize the signs that an individual is getting dangerously intoxicated.

“You need to call 911 anytime you have the slightest inkling that something is wrong,” he said. “These are preventable horrors.”

Lyford’s death is under investigation. Old Town police would like to hear from anyone who may have been with or had contact with Lyford on Saturday or Sunday. Officer Miller or Detective Tom Adams may be reached at 827-3984.